Nayagarh: The district has once again gained notoriety for female foeticide and child marriage incidents. What is of great concern is that the district is yet to get rid of these two most disgraceful issues.
July 14, 2007 was a black day for the people of Nayagarh. On this day, not one but six foetuses were recovered from the foothills of Duburi.
With this incident, Nayagarh district virtually became synonymous with foeticide. According to some, this doesn’t mean that killing of foetus was occurring in Nayagarh district only.
“The fact is that such crimes were taking place in other districts too. What the July 14 incident revealed was that it brought the sensitive issue to the fore,” they said.
This incident paved the way for strict implementation of PreConception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act.
In order to stop foeticide and child marriages in the district, several government programmes like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ are being undertaken spending lakhs of rupees.
But the result is not satisfactory. While as many as 56 child marriages were foiled between January and June this year, the district is at the top of the list for reporting maximum cases of foeticide (according to 2011 census).
It stands to reason that the money the government is spending to organise various programmes only goes down the drain. It also suggests that there must be some faults in implementation of the programmes.
As long as these faults are there, the programmes will remain confined to delivering speeches only, some intellectuals observed. Even today foeticide is being carried out at clinics clandestinely.
Women from Nayagarh district are allegedly going to Bhubaneswar to determine the sex of their foetuses. They are allegedly killing them if they are found females.
According to sources, a pregnant woman recently claimed that a mobile van was doing the rounds in Bhubaneswar city. People moving in this van, not only determine the sex of foetus, but also help to do away with the foetus, if it is detected to be a female.
The woman had gone to Bhubaneswar and contacted the mobile van. Since she has three daughters, she was aspiring for a son. The van is equipped with gadgets that determine the sex of foetus.
Since her yet-to-be born child was found to be a male, she did not go for abortion, the source added.
It is alleged that women visiting Bhubaneswar to determine the sex of their foetuses are mostly from rich families as well as families whose members are spearheading the campaign against foeticide.
Chairperson of Gania Unnayan Parishad, Usha Pattanayak said female foeticide and child marriages can never be stopped unless the desire for sons and the mindset of people are not changed.
PNN